Hilary Swank

Though she struggled to gain her footing for almost a decade, actress Hilary Swank finally had a major breakthrough when she earned the Academy Award for her gripping performance in the indie darling...
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For this week’s The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence not only transformed herself mentally to play a teenaged survivalist but also physically, in order to accurately portray the masterful hunter and archer that Katniss Everdeen has become. It’s something of a tribute to female roles that are genuinely kickass, physically demanding and heroic, not faux-empowering, exploitative or merely tough-looking. Here are other movies with such qualities from their leading ladies.
Girlfight
Before Michelle Rodriguez became a big star (and a bit of a troublemaker), she broke out in this little indie. With virtually no budget and thus scant room for stunt doubles and nifty effects, Rodriguez was forced to become a real female boxer, and the result was a very credible performance – and countless Best Newcomer-type awards.
Million Dollar Baby
Another boxing movie, another actress who went the extra mile to authenticate her performance and character. Hilary Swank’s training was “two and a half hours of boxing and approximately an hour and a half to two hours lifting weights every day, six days a week.” It showed – and paid off: She won a Best Actress Oscar for the second time in her career.
G.I. Jane
Though Demi Moore’s performance wasn’t exactly Oscar-worthy (it was Razzie-worthy, though: She won Worst Actress in 1997), there’s no denying that her portrayal of the first woman to undergo Navy SEAL training was physically demanding – and that Moore met those demands head-on. And, uh, hair-off!
Kill Bill
Uma Thurman was put through the ringer – mentally, emotionally AND physically (how she was not nominated for an Oscar is beyond us) – in Quentin Tarantino’s two-“volume” martial arts/revenge opus, and while Tarantino and master choreographer Yuen Woo-ping deserve a lot of credit for the memorable fight sequences, Thurman was at the center of them all. Which is impressive even if her stunt double was heavily involved.
Death Proof
While we’re on the subject of Tarantino and his borderline fetishism of female empowerment, we must mention Death Proof – in which real-life stuntwoman Zoe Bell plays a stuntwoman on the run (along with Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms) from Kurt Russell’s deranged Stuntman Mike. And she, naturally, performs her own stunts, including riding on the hood of a car at breakneck speeds, sans CGI. If that wasn’t physically demanding, then what is?
Alias
So … yeah, we cheated a bit. But how could we not include a TV show – really the only one of its kind, save perhaps for series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the original Bionic Woman and Charlie’s Angels, to a much lesser degree – that features a female lead (Jennifer Garner) performing crazy action sequences on a weekly basis? Well, we couldn’t!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Be it the original trilogy adaptation, featuring Noomi Rapace, or David Fincher’s recent Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, starring Rooney Mara, playing antiheroine Lisbeth Salander is clearly not for the dainty actresses out there – or any actresses afraid of physicality, whether it’s uglifying one’s appearance drastically or filming sexually abusive scenes.
The Terminator/T2
Even if Linda Hamilton didn’t perform all her stunts in the first two Terminator movies – and it’s safe to assume that she didn’t – it is abundantly clear that she put in a ton of time at the gym to not only be ready for said stuntwork, if necessary, but also create a ripped Sarah Connor who doesn’t look silly handling various guns.
Multiple Angelina Jolie Movies
These days, Jolie looks a little, er, fragile to pass as a believable ass-kicking action heroine, but in all of her action movies (including the Tomb Raiders, Wanted, Salt and even Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Jolie has insisted on doing as many of her own stunts as possible. Which for insurance reasons might not translate to that many, but stil, she’s clearly game for physically demanding roles.

The actress will make her debut as the superheroine in Cartoon Network series Young Justice on 24 March (12), according to TVGuide.com.
Maggie Q insists she was born to play Wonder Woman: "In my head I am her. No stretch there. When I was a kid, I used to dress up as her. I couldn't afford a costume, so I would make her headband, wristbands and the lasso out of paper and tape it to myself, and run around, climb up roofs and try to jump off them."
Wonder Woman has been portrayed by Lynda Carter and Adrianne Palicki on TV, while Lucy Lawless and Keri Russell are among the actresses who have given the superheroine a voice in animated films.
Young Justice brings together a host of stars - Hilary Swank's ex-husband Chad Lowe voices Captain Marvel; George Eads The Flash, and Alan Tudyk Green Arrow.

The trio have signed up to give voice to Audible.com's A-List Collection - a selection of literary classics narrated by Hollywood stars.
The first four books, which will be available online from Thursday (08Mar12), will be A Rage in Harlem (read by Samuel L. Jackson), The Wizard of Oz (Hathaway), Therese Raquin (Winslet) and The Member of the Wedding (Sarandon).
The celebrities reportedly chose their own projects.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Annette Bening, Colin Firth, Hilary Swank and Jennifer Connelly will read the next batch of audio books.

The Bruno star hit headlines this week (beg20Feb12) after he was reportedly banned from turning up at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday (26Feb12) in costume as Admiral General Aladeen, the leader of fictional country Wadiya, from his latest movie.
Oscars bosses spoke out to insist he hadn't been told to stay away, but Cohen has now released a video to address the controversy.
He appears in character in the film and orders Oscars chiefs to "lift sanctions" and return his tickets by 12pm on Sunday.
He says, "Good morning... On behalf of the nation of Wadiya, I am outraged at being banned from the Oscars by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences.
"While I abhor the Academy for taking away my right to free speech, I warn you that if you do not lift your sanctions and give me my tickets back by 12pm on Sunday, you will face unimaginable consequences..."
He goes to to add, "On top of all of this, I paid Hilary Swank $2 million to be my date and she will not refund a penny. My Sunday calendar is now as empty as a North Korean grocery store... Death to the west, death to America and good luck (Oscars host) Billy Crystals (sic). You are fantastic."

The Oscar-winning actress issued a grovelling apology in October (11) amid a storm of criticism of her presence at the event, and she promised to hand her personal appearance fee to charity.
Exiled former Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev has written to the Boys Don't Cry star demanding she provide details of her payment and the charities she's handed it to - but Swank has declined the request.
A spokeswoman for the actress tells The Hollywood Reporter, "Over the last four months, Hilary has been working directly and privately with various human rights organisations and other charities - giving both her time and financial resources.
"At the request of such organisations, and consistent with Hilary's longstanding practice of donating anonymously, she will not be publicly acknowledging her contributions and efforts."
Swank was slammed by officials at Human Rights Watch for partying with Kadyrov in October (11) amid claims he is responsible for torturing his citizens.

The Milk star has worked tirelessly to raise money and awareness for the impoverished nation since it was struck by a devastating earthquake back in 2010 and his efforts were rewarded over the weekend.
Penn was offered the job by Haitian foreign minister Laurent Lamothe at the Cinema for Peace benefit in Beverly Hills, California.
Stepping up to the podium to greet the crowd, the actor beamed, "I do accept. (It would be useful to) change being called, 'Hey you (expletive), to hey Mr. Ambassador!"
The event, which was attended by the likes of George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, Orlando Bloom, Mel Gibson and Hilary Swank, raised $5 million (GBP3.1 million) in relief funds for the country thanks to a private auction.
According to the New York Post, singer Damien Rice shelled out $475,000 (GBP296,875) for one of Bono's guitars and Roberts' husband, Danny Moder, offered to fork out $50,000 (GBP31,250) for a trip to Haiti with Penn.

The Oscar-winning actress hosted the bash at the Piano Bar in Los Angeles last weekend (17-18Dec11) and the invitation told guests to expect "A Redneck Christmas, Y'all..." with "beers and boot scootin' fun".
Swank co-hosted the party with publicist Stephanie Shaw, who tells New York Post gossip column Page Six, "We wanted it to be the opposite of the Hollywood formal holiday party. We had Rice Krispies (Treats), Natty Lights (Natural Light Beer) and redneck punch.
"We had tons of beer in buckets on the tables and hot dogs... Hilary got into the spirit of it, she had so much fun. We were all going to wear tanks that said 'Ho ho ho' - but they didn't arrive in time, so Hilary was in a cute cowgirl outfit."

Last year director Garry Marshall hit upon a devilishly canny approach to the romantic comedy. A more polished refinement of Hal Needham’s experimental Cannonball Run method it called for assembling a gaggle of famous faces from across the demographic spectrum and pairing them with a shallow day-in-the-life narrative packed with gobs of gooey sentiment. A cynical strategy to be sure but one that paid handsome dividends: Valentine’s Day earned over $56 million in its opening weekend surpassing even the rosiest of forecasts. Buoyed by the success Marshall and his screenwriter Katherine Fugate hastily retreated to the bowels of Hades to apply their lucrative formula to another holiday historically steeped in romantic significance and New Year’s Eve was born.
Set in Manhattan on the last day of the year New Year’s Eve crams together a dozen or so canned scenarios into one bloated barely coherent mass of cliches. As before Marshall’s recruited an impressive ensemble of minions to do his unholy bidding including Oscar winners Hilary Swank Halle Berry and Robert De Niro the latter luxuriating in a role that didn’t require him to get out of bed. High School Musical’s Zac Efron is paired up with ‘80s icon Michelle Pfeiffer – giving teenage girls and their fathers something to bond over – while Glee’s Lea Michele meets cute with a pajama-clad Ashton Kutcher. There’s Katherine Heigl in a familiar jilted-fiance role Sarah Jessica Parker as a fretful single mom and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as the most laid-back cop in New York. Sofia Vergara and Hector Elizondo mine for cheap laughs with thick accents – his fake and hers real – and Jessica Biel and Josh Duhamel deftly mix beauty with blandness. Fans of awful music will delight in the sounds of Jon Bon Jovi straining against type to play a relevant pop musician.
The task of interweaving the various storylines is too great for Marshall and New Year’s Eve bears the distinct scent and stain of an editing-room bloodbath with plot holes so gaping that not even the brightest of celebrity smiles can obscure them. But that’s not the point – it never was. You should know better than to expect logic from a film that portrays 24-year-old Efron and 46-year-old Parker as brother-and-sister without bothering to explain how such an apparent scientific miracle might have come to pass. Marshall wagers that by the time the ball drops and the film’s last melodramatic sequence has ended prior transgressions will be absolved and moviegoers will be content to bask in New Year's Eve's artificial glow. The gambit worked for Valentine's Day; this time he may not be so fortunate.

Portrayed Betty Anne Waters, an unemployed single mother, who spent a decade earning a law degree so she could represent her brother in the film "Conviction"

Had regular role on ABC's comedy series "Camp Wilder"

Starred as a inspiring teacher in the drama "Freedom Writers"

Joined the cast of "Beverly Hills, 90210" (Fox) as Carly Reynolds, a single mother who becomes a love interest for Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering)

Landed first job as guest star in episode of the syndicated series "Harry and the Hendersons"

Co-starred with Al Pacino in the American version of "Insomnia"

Signed on to be the spokeswoman for a new women's fragrance launched by Guerlain

Nominated for the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Played lead in the feature "The Next Karate Kid"

Gave a Oscar winning performance as Teena Brandon, a young woman undergoing a sexual identity crisis who opted to live as a man and was brutally raped and murdered when it was discovered she was born female in "Boys Don't Cry"

Nominated for the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role ("Conviction")

Cast in the Sam Raimi directed "The Gift"

Cast as Josh Hartnett's love interest in "The Black Dahlia," Brian De Palma's adaptation of James Ellroy's classic noir novel

Co-starred with Clint Eastwood in "Million Dollar Baby" as a woman determined to establish herself as a boxer

Co-starred as a widow whose life is turned upside down by letters left behind by her husband in "P.S. I Love You"

Starred opposite Anjelica Huston and Frances O'Connor in the HBO movie "Iron Jawed Angels," about the stuggle for women's right to vote; received Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie

Summary

Though she struggled to gain her footing for almost a decade, actress Hilary Swank finally had a major breakthrough when she earned the Academy Award for her gripping performance in the indie darling "Boys Don't Cry" (1999). A classic "overnight" success story that Hollywood loves to sire, Swank quickly proved that she was no one-trick-pony with quality turns in Sam Raimi's supernatural thriller "The Gift" (2000), the period romantic drama "The Affair of the Necklace" (2001) and Christopher Nolan's excellent crime thriller "Insomnia" (2002). She went on to find her star-making niche playing steely women who succeeded against the odds, best exemplified by her performance as a female boxer who meets a tragic end in Clint Eastwood's moody drama "Million Dollar Baby" (2004), a role that earned her a second Oscar. From there, she etched powerful performances as real-life women such as American suffragist Alice Paul in "Iron Jawed Angels" (HBO, 2004), unorthodox teacher Erin Gruwell in "Freedom Writers" (2007) and groundbreaking aviatrix Amelia Earhart in "Amelia" (2009). In 2006, Swank was the subject of tabloid headlines following her divorce from actor Chad Lowe and subsequent romance with her own agent, John Campisi. Five years later, she was criticized for attending the birthday celebration of Chechnyan president Ramzan Kadyrov, who had been cited for human rights violations, leading her to publicly apologize. Despite such embarrassment, Swank remained one of Hollywood's more versatile actresses who drew upon her working-class roots to deliver one informed performance after another.

Name

Role

Comments

John Campisi

Companion

Began dating shortly after Swank separated from Chad Lowe; the couple was spotted kissing and holding hands Aug. 27, 2006; Confirmed they were dating December 2006; Reportedly split May 2012

Met c. 1992 while acting together on the feature "Quiet Days in Hollywood" (shown at 1997 Cannes Festival); Married Sept. 28, 1997; Filed for divorce May 2006; Divorced Nov. 1, 2007

Stephen Swank

Father

Was officer in the Air National Guard; Separated from Swank's mother c. 1990

Judy Swank

Mother

Accompanied daughter to L.A. after separating from husband c. 1990

Dan Swank

Brother

Born c. 1966; Owned marketing company in Edmonds, WA

Education

Name

South Pasadena High School

Santa Monica City College

Sehome High School

Notes

While in high school, Swank competed in the Junior Olympics and Washington State championships in swimming. She ranked fifth in the state in all-around gymnastics.

When asked if she had ever done martial arts before "The Next Karate Kid": "No, never. I had flexibility in gymnastics, and I took instruction and worked hard, hours and hours a day. I wanted to do all my stunts." – Swank to Parade magazine, Aug. 7, 1994

"It took about four weeks for me to detox from masculinity. I felt like I had lost every ounce of my femininity and I honestly didn't know if I'd ever get it back." – Swank on playing Brandon Teena in "Boy's Don't Cry," to Talk magazine, October 1999

"I figured out why it was so easy. I had so much fear and anxiety about it, but when we did it, it was so professional, it didn't live up to my fear. It was just make-believe." – Swank on the brutal rape scene in "Boy's Don't Cry," to Out magazine, October 1999

Swank was named one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" for 2004.

"The second after I won the Academy Award [for 1999's 'Boys Don't Cry'], I felt inhibited, like I was being watched under a microscope. People weren't necessarily putting that on me so much as I was putting that on myself. It took a while before I could relax and enjoy acting again." – Swank quoted in Premiere, December 2004/January 2005

"In the end, it just didn't work, but I would never look back on this relationship as failed. I look at it as 13 1/2 years of success." – Swank on her split from husband Chad Lowe, to Vanity Fair, August 2006

In October 2011, Swank was criticized for attending the 35th birthday celebration of Chechen president and alleged human rights abuser Ramzan Kadyrov. The actress later apologized and promised to donate the paycheck she received for her attendance to charity.

Affiliations

Spokeswoman for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of New York City's Harvey Milk High School for gay, bi and transgender youth.